WHO said it had informed member states about the Irkutsk event

On 7 October, Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the WHO (World Health Organization) Epidemic and Pandemic Management Department, said member states and IHR (International Health Regulations) national focal points had been informed. Her answer appears in CNN’s (Cable News Network, United States) broadcast transcript.

Sending specialists would require a Russian request, she explained. She also asked journalists to stop using the deceased patient’s name and photograph, citing privacy.

A public outbreak bulletin was still announced as forthcoming. The official opening remarks separately described incomplete information for assessment. Neither dispatch of a team nor publication of the bulletin is established by these remarks.

Broadcast: 7 October, 11:00–12:00 ET (Eastern Time, North America), UTC−4; 15:00–16:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time); 23:00–00:00 Irkutsk. Notification dispatch time unknown. Transcript provisional; complete video not checked. Added on 8 October.